Did Mercury Cause Late Permian Extinctions?

Earth experienced the highest rate of extinctions in its history at the end of the Permian period. Scientists have long explained the "Great Dying," as it is informally known, based on rapid climatic changes due to extreme volcanic activity. Patterns of extinction suggest that warming and acidification of the oceans lowered marine oxygen levels. But these stresses insufficiently explain the whole pattern of extinctions. Now scientists at the University of Calgary have submitted a paper to the journal Geology suggesting that late Permian mercury anomalies contributed to the massive extinctions of the era. Steve Grasby, co-author of the paper, states: No one had ever looked to see if mercury was a potential culprit. This was a time of the greatest volcanic activity in Earth’s history and we know today that the largest source of mercury comes from volcanic eruptions. We estim...